I just found out a very good friend of ours is a vietnam vet......

[a kennedy]

we were talking about this war, Iraq, and it came up that he was in Vietnam.....I think I'll send him a thank you card today. :patriot:

[noamnety]

1. You sure he wants that?

If he's not proud of what he did in Vietnam, a thank you for doing what you did there card might not be the best idea.

I cringe when someone thanks me "for my service." Ugh.

[Toots]

2. I was asked one time to talk to a grade school class about my Military experience

I told the teacher that while I was honored to be asked I could not accept and give any talk as I was not at all proud of my time in Vietnam and would not feel at all comfortable talking about it..I think he understood but not really sure.

[TahitiNut]

3. Expressing appreciation for someone's service to their nation ...

... is NOT the same as agreeing with how our nation used/abused that service. I don't know about you, but I obeyed orders. I did my best to carry out those (legal) orders in a conscientious way. The manner in which our military is used is the responsibility of 'We the People" ... and any attempt to shift the blame to those who subordinate themselves to the will of the nation as expressed through the elected leadership is, imho, a repudiation and abdication of democracy - political cowardice. The 'duty' of a citizen is one of sovereignty in a democracy, subordinate to nobody, and a failure to bear and share that burden is a failure to perform one's duty.

Cripes! Blaming people in the service for the manner they're used is like blaming the waiter or waitress for one's own obesity. It's called "service."

[noamnety]

5. I'm not "blaming people in the service"

Nor am I saying others should or shouldn't be proud of their service.

I'm saying that SOME vets are proud of their service, and SOME vets are not, and it might be wise and/or sensitive to make sure where that particular vet falls on that spectrum - out of respect for THEIR feelings about their own service - before sending a formal thank you card.

Your feelings about your own service are separate from that vet's feelings, they are equally valid, and they don't apply to all vets.

[Bigmack]

4. Me too!!!

I know I'm just being an asshole, but that "thanks for your service" shit is what the rightwingradionuts say, when what they really mean is "Sucker.... you went and I didn't!"

Our little community is having a Memorial Day BBQ and picnic. I was going.... until I found out the flag-wavers got hold of the thing. The whole damn community center is RED, WHITE, and BLUE!!!! The "flag ceremony" and "honoring of the veterans ceremony" starts things off. Just what I need... a bunch of RAMFs doing their patriotic foreplay.

I'm proud that I served, but I'm ashamed of what this country did with that service.

[noamnety]

6. Our VFP chapter deals with that dilemma often

Our town does nationalistic stuff that makes us cringe. We went to one memorial service last year, as a group, then found out the speakers were horribly right wing politicians, and we had to decide if being their gave them some sort of silent endorsement, or if it was better for us to attend in our Veterans for Peace shirts in order to make a statement.

In the end, we decided to stay. A local newspaper ran a photo of us standing in a line at the service, just participating, not demonstrating or anything, but our VFP shirts were visible in the photo. I'm personally on the side of attending, but only if I wear something that makes it clear I don't support the military machine.

We're marching in the local Memorial Day parade as well on Monday, as a registered group. We're outnumbered there by the junior ROTC preteens in combat gear, but the cheers for our little group are impressive, and increase each year. I hate to just hand the whole thing over to the other side.

[1620rock]

7. We did what we were asked to do. The good, the bad, and the

ugly. It has made a lot of us life long pacifists and workers for peace.